Indian Mutiny Game - TMWWBK

An Indian Mutiny today with John and Eric from Banchory. Nothing fancy about the scenario - a British column trying to break through mutineer lines to reach Delhi. 

The British had 2 units of HEIC Inf and a unit of Loyal Sikhs, supported by a gun faced down 4 units of Sepoys supported by their own artillery piece. This being an early period game, all the units were armed with muskets rather than the new Minie rifles. John led the mutineers while Eric took the company forces....it was going to be a long game with both sides ebbing back and forth. Both were reinforced by a unit of cavalry and further infantry...but neither side were really able to win the day. In the end, despite taking the hill before the town, Eric was forced back to his start line while John was unable to muster enough men in his remaining units to be able to press home an attack without destroying his forces. 

We decided to end the game "as dusk fell" - the British retiring to await further men and the Sepoys falling back on Delhi during the night, thinking their job done.

Figs are from Foundry mostly with a few Empress miniatures in there too. I've glued thin cardboard slips under the former's bases are enough to bring them up to the same height as the taller Paul Hicks sculpts but otherwise they mix really well. The Sikhs and British foot have Empress command. The skirmish bases are from Warbases.

Sikh Wars - Follow up

 Thanks for the kind comments regarding my last post.

I tested positive for covid on Sunday but between sweats, sniffs, coughs and splutters I have managed to do a little bit of painting and basing.

First up were some old glory Sikh's. Not as nice as the Foundry figures, nor the Studio miniatures range, but the same height as the former and so able to fit in and flesh out my my army. I painted these almost exclusively with citadel contrast paints, (trousers and metalwork were normal acrylics). I think they've come out pretty nicely. 

OG Sikhs, with Foundry Officer

I also managed to do some baggage camels. These are Empress Miniatures and very nice indeed. They too were given the contrast paint treatment - aggaros dunes as the base, with iraqi sand from Vallejo to lighten them up. Baggage was a mix of contrasts and acrylics. This give me 8 elements of baggage in total for my NWF/Indian armies. I think I will add a buffalo cart and bheesties which will make it a fair size and appropriate for the location - trains were often as large or larger than the armies they accompanied and in several cases were not large enough even then to provide the food and fodder required. For this reason they are an essential feature of armies in these areas. 

Whist raking around for more bits to add, I came across a signed copy of Donald Featherstone's book - The First Sikh War - on evil bay, so that got snapped up. He responsible for me taking up wargaming as his book "Wargames" was in my local library as a kid. I've never looked back.  It's nice to have this connection.

I have started to paint some of the Empress/Iron Duke sepoys. This will give me a further unit in shakos and also a unit of deserters....or mutineers. Sepoy uniform didn't change at all from the 30's to the Mutiny and that means I have a ready made army to start cover the first outbreaks and battles around Delhi. For the British units in shell jacket and cap from Sikh war ranges are fine, but even that semi formal uniform quickly gave way to improvised affairs. The Mutiny seems another period crying out to be gamed using TMWWBK - so I will!

Size Comparison - LtoR - Perry Afghan, OG Sikh, Empress Sepoy, Foundry Sikh, Empress Nz War 

(Although the foundry figure is smallest, his base is very thin and with a shim underneath there is next to no difference between OG, Foundry and Empress)